Interview with Cally Beaton – Namaste Motherf**ckers
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
We caught up Cally Beaton and she gives us the low down of her favourite guests, her tips and the most inspiring stories to keep an eye out for in the upcoming season.
What inspired you to start podcasting?
‘What took me so long?’ is a better question. Throughout lockdown I was mulling it over but decided to break with pandemic podcast convention and start mine just as lockdown lifted. I get booked to do a lot of speeches and keynotes on the subjects of comedy, work and wellbeing so combining those themes with a big smattering of celebrity seemed like a no-brainer as a concept for a new podcast.
What has been the most rewarding episode or moment in your podcasting journey so far?
In terms of guests, I’m torn between Miriam Margolyes, Deborah Meaden and Sally Phillips. For content, it was probably the one where I interviewed Jonny Benjamin and Neil Laybourn, whose names you may not know but the story ‘The Stranger on the Bridge’ you likely will, about the fateful day when Jonny was about to jump off Waterloo bridge and a stranger, who turned out to be Neil, got talking to him and saved his life.
What has been the game-changer moment for you?
The conversation that’s changed my life most was Alistair McGowan throwing down the gauntlet for me to take up classical piano and one year later finding myself performing at the Ludlow Piano Festival in front of hundreds of people! The other game-changer would have to be the very first episode, getting off the starting blocks with someone whose columns and books I’ve been a devotee of for well over a decade, the outstanding Oliver Burkeman.
What episodes should we watch out for in the new series?
In terms of goosebumps we’ve just done an interview with Esther Rantzen, who is at the end of life with stage 4 lung cancer, facilitated by her brilliant daughter Rebecca Wilcox, which felt like a big honour and privilege given she is no longer doing voice work. And I’ve just finished recording with Grayson Perry, who was all you would hope he would be and more, and feels like I’ve completed the set, having already had Philippa Perry on.
How would you describe your show in 5 words?
Not like any other podcast
What would you say has been the biggest challenge in your podcasting journey?
Finding enough hours in the day. I love every part of podcasting, from thinking of a guest, to them saying yes, to researching them, to writing the script to accompany the chat, to hearing the final edit, to listeners telling us what they think. The podcast is the thing I’m most proud of that I do professionally, and the one where the least corners can, and indeed should, be cut. (The more people, like you, who give it a star rating or a review, the more rewarding it is. Hint.)
What are all the different things that you do to help promote your podcast?
We promote the podcast twice weekly on all social media platforms with bespoke clips and footage.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/callybeaton
The ‘Namaste Motherf**kers’ book is in the works for release in 2025, so that won’t hurt getting the word out either!
Of these, what has been the most effective?
We spend a lot of time crafting carefully edited promos, but what always works best is me wandering around talking into my phone about whoever it is we’ve just had on and releasing it as a reel. 30 seconds of unthought-through content can generate hundreds of new listens, especially on Instagram where I’m lucky enough to have a big, supportive community @callybeatoncomedian
If you could interview anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
It would be the Obamas, together, with Kamala Harris making a cameo appearance. Why? Do you really need to ask?!
What show would you love to be a guest on?
I can’t believe I haven’t been on Parenting Hell yet. When the book comes out, that will be top of the hit list.
What are your favourite podcasts to listen to?
Coming in at my personal number one, it has to be Chatabix. I love Joe Wilkinson and David Earl as individuals, and together they’re magical (and I’m not just saying that because they’ve guested on mine). I could listen to them talk about nothing all day, which is lucky because mainly that’s what they do. I listen to Desert Island Discs a lot when I’m researching upcoming guests and in terms of favourite female voices, Off Air with Jane and Fi is right up there, as much for the chat with just the two of them as for their stellar guests.
Why did you move to Auddy?
Producer Mike and I love the fact that Auddy has a bespoke, boutique type approach – it feels personal and content- rather than profit-driven, like a family not a big cynical business.
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